Assisted Suicide (Venture Bros. episode)
"Assisted Suicide" is the 53rd episode of the American animated television series The Venture Bros. Plot The episode begins with several characters (including Brock, Sgt. Hatred, Shore Leave, Hank, Dean, and Dr. Orpheus) playing touch football. The game is interrupted when Brock senses someone is in his car. It turns out to be Dr. Venture's apparent attempt at suicide (albeit a poor one as he tried to asphyxiate himself in a fully electric car). In quick succession, he tries to kill himself with a road flare, shaving creme, Brock's combat knife, and Dr. Orpheus' tie. After being taken into the compound and examined by Dr. Orpheus, it is determined that Dr. Venture is not truly suicidal but in fact possessed. Preparations are quickly made for an exorcism. Orpheus casts a spell of binding which effectively puts Dr. Venture in a locked-in state. It is revealed that the Monarch has entered Dr. Venture's mind via a device not approved by the Guild. The Monarch's disembodied psyche has set up shop in the "Master Control Room" of Venture's brain, and is driving his suicidal urges. With the help of the greatest treasure Dr. Venture values (but notably not his children), Dr. Orpheus enters into Dr. Venture's mind, where he meets the personification of the two greatest forces in the human psyche: Eros (who manifests as Billy Quizboy) and Thanatos (who manifests as Pete White). Together, they cross the levels of Dr. Venture's mind, passing by the Id (which manifests as Rusty in his childhood, presiding over a harem of every woman he ever desired, and wearing Roman garb and a golden crown of laurels); Ego (which manifests as a dejected middle-aged Rusty who futilely works on a puppet of himself like so much Geppeto; and Superego (a burly manifestation of Rusty as he wishes to see himself: physically imposing, with a full head of hair, no glasses and confidence evocative of his father). Meanwhile, the Monarch's tamperings inside Dr. Venture opens the floodgates of Venture's horrific past, revealing more of his traumatic childhood. Meanwhile, Henchman #21 and Dr. Mrs the Monarch bond while watching over The Monarch's physical body (unable to forcibly remove him from Dr. Venture's mind at the risk of "turning him into a vegetable"). When the Murderous Moppets show up for a routine safety inspection, Dr. Mrs the Monarch and Henchman #21 cover the Monarch's condition from the Moppets, to avoid Guild repercussions, since these kinds of mental attacks aren't allowed. They go so far as to fake a threesome, which causes the Moppets to quickly leave in disgust. 21 and Dr Mrs The Monarch later share a drunken kiss. Finally the Monarch, after Dr. Orpheus confronts him with the horrible memories of all Hank and Dean's deceased clones, flees from Dr. Venture's mind. Awakened and released from the control of the Monarch, Rusty goes out side to see mild chaos as Hatred and Brock argue over how to deal with Dean (who had sat on an anthill and was now nearly stripped and being hosed down). Dr. Venture declares that his children are "his problem" and not the responsibility of the two feuding bodyguards. The episode concludes with a brief conversation between Dr. Venture and Hank where he relates a story of how he was humiliated yet again at the hands of both his father and the original Team Venture, and he implies it was this, among numerous other incidents caused by his father and his associates, that are responsible for turning him into the person he is today. Cultural References *During the football game Shore Leave refers to Dr. Orpheus as Professor Snape. *As Orpheus begins Dr. Venture's exorcism, various characters are shown to be prepared for extreme projectile vomiting, in a nod to the infamous scene from The Exorcist. *Rusty's mind being shown as a white corridor with multiple doors is a reference to The Matrix Reloaded and Hospital World in Silent Hill 4: The Room. *When 21 asks Dr. Mrs. the Monarch if she thinks the Monarch will "bring back a pissed off Billy Mahoney", he's referencing the movie Flatliners. *21 and Dr Mrs the Monarch discuss their love of the original Star Trek, particularly the episode "The Corbomite Maneuver". *21 recites part of Roy Batty's final speech from the movie "Blade Runner." *Dr. Mrs. The Monarch & 21's bonding and drinking over the Monarch's comatose body is reminiscent of scenes from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. *Ego is seen trying to fix a puppet of Rusty Venture, a reference to Geppetto from Pinocchio, but also a reference to Rusty himself. *When the Monarch is returning to a stable heart condition 21 sugguests to sing him something familiar and asks Dr. Mrs. The Monarch what "their song is" to which she replies that they don't write songs like Elton John and Bernie Taupin. *21 then continues to to guess what is their romantic song which include Lady in red by Chris De Burgh, and two Human League songs Keep feeling fascination and Don't you want me baby all of which Dr. Mrs. THe Monarch says not even close although she metioned that The Monarch always sings a certain song by Human League. Connections to Previous Episodes *The women seen in Rusty's id include Molotov Cocktease, Myra Brandish, Sally Impossible, Dr. Mrs. the Monarch, Dr. Tara Quymn, an idealized version of the nurse stripper from Nightingales (she was also on the cover of Cup Cakes, the adult magazine in The Diving Bell Vs. The Butter-Glider), and Lindsay Wagner. The id delusionally says they were all women Dr. Venture could have "sealed the deal" with, if he'd only put in the effort. ** This is Molotov Cocktease's first appearance since "Blood of the Father, Heart of Steel." *This episode was written as the second episode of the half-season but was pushed back to the sixth. *Sgt Hatred tells Brock about the time Hank shot him in "Blood of the Father, Heart of Steel" . *Hatred makes references to his "OSI days", effectively confirming that he is one and the same as the 'Sgt. Haine' who appears in The Invisible Hand of Fate. *The episode carries on a theme of Dr. Venture caring more for himself than his kids, in this case physically proving it when Doctor Orpheus tries to enter his mind. A similar event occurred in the episode Eeney, Meeney, Miney... Magic! *When 21 lists the things he has seen he says "I've a seen a giant penny roll over a guy dressed like a rainbow" he is referring to the death of Wonder Boy, as claimed by Captain Sunshine in "Handsome Ransom". Production Notes Footnotes Bibliography TBD Category:The Venture Bros. episodes Category:2010 television episodes